My Favorite Bands in North Carolina

What’s going on, everybody? Hey, I’ve been cruising along still gigging when I can and still going through the motions but it looks like it has paid off at least a little. My band was recently featured on WRAL Out and About as THE R&B band you should hear in the Raleigh, NC area! I didn’t know why there was a huge spike in my website traffic until I clicked the source. If you want to read the article, click the pic. There are bands of different genres mentioned in the article as well. You may want to check out some of those if you’re in the area.

WRAL Out and About Miss Mini Review

We’ve been playing a lot recently in Raleigh, NC with monthly gigs at the Tin Roof and London Bridge Pub. Those have been fun but I’m going to have to stop doing them. Inflation is a bear and they don’t really pay enough for it to be worth going anymore. I’ll let the younger, hungrier bands have those gigs. I no longer look for exposure so I’ll be alright.

BUT, since I’ve gotten a little shine recently, I’m going to pass along the light! I want to highlight some of the bands in North Carolina that I really like. First, let’s start out with jAndr (pronounced “yonder”). They are a young band in the area that describes themselves as psychedelic, Hip Hot and R&B. I happen to be a little biased because this band and I share a couple of musicians! We share a keyboard player, Santel Reid. We also share a drummer, Anthony Ward, aka Eclectic Animal. He really has a lot going on with sponsorships and interviews and all kinds of other good stuff but we would be here all day if I go into that. Just go follow his Instagram. @ianimal_23

Back to the subject, which is My Favorite Bands in North Carolina, jAndr in particular… The musicians are super talented and they just have a really cool vibe that makes you want to be a part if it! Don’t believe me, check out their cover of Zombie by the Cranberries!

Next up in the list of my favorite bands in North Carolina, SUMTHIN 4 THA PEOPLE out of Durham, NC. Now, this one is something serious. See, I grew up in the 90’s when boy bands were a thing and the R&B music was smooth and sexy. These guys bring ALL of that back for me! If you love groups like Jodeci, Jagged Edge, Silk, Boyz II Men, New Edition, etc., you will LOVE this band! Check out their cover of Can You Stand the Rain by New Edition!

They also like to bring a little church quartet flavor to their gigs. Now, that usually is not my kind of thing but somehow, they make me like it… Yeah, you and I both know why but (in my Little Richard voice) SHUT UP! 😜

Last, but certainly not least of my favorite bands in North Carolina is CRUCIAL FIYA! This is a Reggae band and I’ve always been a huge fan of the genre. These guys keep it pretty traditional with a lot of Bob Marley and roots reggae type stuff. They do mix in a bit of R&B and Rock but they give it a Caribbean flavor. I follow these guys as much as I can but when you are also a musician, catching other acts is hard because you are likely performing the same dates they are. These guys never disappoint and by taking my son to see them, he’s become a fan too! Watch them perform an original “Music High” below.

Of course, it goes without saying that my band is my absolute favorite! Depending on which side of the fence we’re on, we could be Miss Mini and the Sandman Band for beach gigs or just Miss Mini for Southern Soul but either way, we still kick ass!! Check out our videos on my website and you’ll see what I mean. I’m not going to post one here because again, I want the other bands to shine a bit!

I never know who might come across my blog so if this is your introduction to me, WELCOME! You can read a little more about me, Miss Mini, HERE. I hope you will subscribe so that you can keep reading my posts. AND if you need a great band for your event, give me a holler at missminimusic@gmail.com! Also, you can follow me on Instagram @officialmissmini Find me on Facebook and YouTube Bye for now and keep listening!

Published by Miss Mini

Catrese Green (West) a.k.a "Miss Mini" was born in Rocky Mount, NC and grew up in the small town of Sharpsburg, 5 miles further south. She got her pseudonym from her grandmother who nicknamed her “Minnesota Fats” because she was a chubby baby. The nickname was shortened to Mini and has stuck with her over the years. Mini began singing with her father, in a Top 40 band called “Electric Image” in 1990. The band traveled throughout the southern United States performing for many different types of audiences. With the band she was exposed to and performed music from the R&B, Country, Blues, Jazz Southern Soul and Beach genres. She has covered songs by Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Shania Twain, Alicia Keyes, The Supremes and various Southern Soul music and Beach music artists. After traveling with the band for more than 15 years, Mini longed to step out of her father’s shadow. She left the band and put her music on hold while she explored other career paths. In 2009, she began to reevaluate her life. This reflection led her back to her first love, music. She now has her own band that performs her original music as well as cover tunes. She has been touring throughout Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Her new album entitled “Can’t Stop Me” was released in December of 2015. The hit song “Ole School Style” as well as other singles from the album, are receiving national airplay on Beach and Southern Soul music stations. Currently, “Ole School Style” is #23 on Soul Dog’s Smokin’ Top 45 Southern Soul Hits countdown. She has performed at the Annual Blues Festival at Carter’s Lounge in Warrenton NC alongside greats such as Roy C. and Maurice Wynn. She has also done countless club engagements, the most recent being at Deckerz Bar and Grill in North Myrtle Beach, which has won the award for best show club at the Carolina Beach Music Awards for 2014 and 2015. Upcoming performances include the Raleigh Seafood Festival, the Pittsboro Roadhouse and many others. Find her on bio, pictures, video and more at www.reverbnation.com/missmini and on YouTube, just type Miss Mini in the search area. You can also email missminimusic@gmail.com or call (252) 452-1272 for bookings.

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s

%d bloggers like this: